Delayed Pension Payments Deepen Hardship for Abia Retirees as Concerns Escalate
Retirees in Abia State have raised fresh alarm over the prolonged delay in the payment of gratuities and pension arrears, warning that the situation has pushed many elderly citizens into poverty, homelessness, health crises, and in several cases, premature death. The concerns were voiced on Wednesday in Umuahia by the Abia Pensioners’ Forum, a pressure group operating under the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP).
According to the forum, the continued non-payment of statutory benefits has turned retirement into a period of suffering rather than rest for thousands of senior citizens who dedicated over three decades of service to the state. Coordinator of the group, Okey Kanu, speaking on behalf of members, insisted that pensioners would not relinquish their entitlements, stressing that gratuities are constitutional rights and not acts of goodwill from the government.
Kanu described the delays as “inordinate,” pointing out that since assuming office in 2023, the current administration has only cleared 10 months out of the accumulated arrears between June 2023 and March 2024. The far older arrears inherited from previous administrations, some dating back as far as 2001, remain untouched.
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The forum also rejected claims that pensioners had voluntarily agreed to a contentious Memorandum of Agreement with the state NUP leadership, which allegedly compelled retirees to forfeit a portion of their benefits. Pensioners maintained that many of them never consented to such terms and that the agreement does not reflect their collective position.
The human toll of the delays, the group emphasized, continues to worsen. The coordinator noted that each month of non-payment comes with fresh reports of retirees battling health issues, slipping into depression, losing their homes, or dying without receiving the benefits they earned over decades of service. “This is a grave injustice,” he said, urging the government to urgently prioritize elderly welfare.
While expressing appreciation for Governor Alex Otti’s infrastructural developments, the retirees insisted that no achievement can justify neglecting senior citizens who served the state faithfully. They also reminded the administration that pensioners voted overwhelmingly for the governor during the 2023 elections, based on promises that outstanding arrears would be cleared once he assumed office.
In response to the outcry, the Governor’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ferdinand Ekeoma, confirmed that the government is aware of the concerns and is already working toward a structured resolution. He explained that Governor Otti had earlier set up a comprehensive committee to verify pension records, identify authentic beneficiaries, and determine the exact size of the outstanding debt.
According to Ekeoma, the committee recently submitted its findings, revealing that the verified arrears exceed ₦60 billion. Due to the scale of the backlog and the number of affected retirees, he said the government must establish a phased payment plan that ensures transparency, fairness, and fiscal sustainability. Discussions are ongoing on whether certain categories of pensioners will receive full payments immediately while others may receive partial payments until the backlog is cleared.
He emphasized that the verification was crucial to prevent errors, inflated claims, or fraudulent entries, adding that the government is committed to beginning payment once the final structure is approved.